PRINTED in auspicious bright red and golden yellow, the promotional poster for Shek O Opera looks dated. But the annual musical extravaganza has never been a modern event; it's all about local traditions and customs.
Opened last night, the ancient festival has brought together leading local Cantonese opera stars to appear in 12 traditional operas scheduled to run until October 23.
With a history of more than 100 years, Shek O Opera is an occasion not only to mark the festival of Tin Hau, the goddess of the sea and protector of fishermen, but one that gives villagers a rare chance to watch professionally staged Cantonese opera.
Indeed, in the face of high venue rents and a severe shortage of local talent, some believe this colourful, idiosyncratically Cantonese form of performing art is on the verge of extinction.
'I've been pessimistic about the future of Cantonese opera for some years,' says veteran opera artist Ng Chin-fung, who will be playing the male leads in the major shows featured in the festival.
'Firstly, the number of avid Cantonese opera fans remains small; it's no more than 15,000. Therefore income from one production is small.